U.S. patent application number 10/173145 was filed with the patent office on 2003-12-18 for method and apparatus for creating an adaptive application.
This patent application is currently assigned to Adaptik Corporation. Invention is credited to Batakci, Lutfu, Kadambi, Govindaraj, Kivanc, Bulent, Merkel, Christopher Fredrick, Pettit, John Bartholomew III, Uluakar, Tamer.
Application Number | 20030233367 10/173145 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29733258 |
Filed Date | 2003-12-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030233367 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Uluakar, Tamer ; et
al. |
December 18, 2003 |
Method and apparatus for creating an adaptive application
Abstract
An Adaptive Software Application consists of several types of
modules, called Adaptive Units, which are highly parameterized such
that they can adapt to varying business requirements by virtue of
externally provided parameters. An Adaptive Application is
assembled through repeated use of various combinations of different
types of Adaptive Units. Large and complex business systems can be
rapidly implemented through this approach. An Adaptive Unit
includes an interface component that can present information to and
accept information from the outside world (such as a web page or a
system interface), a processing logic component that can manipulate
and evaluate information based on received parameters received
(such as comparisons and decisions as in the case of data
dependency decisions), and a data persistence logic component that
retrieves, adds, updates, and deletes data targeting one or more
Occurrence Databases. All three components of an Adaptive Unit are
parameter driven. These parameters are not specific to any
particular business. One embodiment for providing parameters to
these components includes a Definition Database. There may be one
or more Occurrence Databases depending on the number of business
processes supported by the business application for which the
Adaptive Application is being adapted. The Occurrence Database
includes generic (also referred to as meta model driven) tables
that are not specific to any particular business.
Inventors: |
Uluakar, Tamer; (Plainsboro,
NJ) ; Pettit, John Bartholomew III; (Westfield,
NJ) ; Batakci, Lutfu; (Middletown, PA) ;
Kivanc, Bulent; (Bethlehem, PA) ; Kadambi,
Govindaraj; (Belle Mead, NJ) ; Merkel, Christopher
Fredrick; (Bethlehem, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MAYER, FORTKORT & WILLIAMS, PC
251 NORTH AVENUE WEST
2ND FLOOR
WESTFIELD
NJ
07090
US
|
Assignee: |
Adaptik Corporation
|
Family ID: |
29733258 |
Appl. No.: |
10/173145 |
Filed: |
June 17, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 ;
707/999.102; 719/328 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10S 707/99943 20130101;
Y10S 707/99945 20130101; G06F 8/20 20130101; Y10S 707/944 20130101;
G06F 8/36 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/102 ;
709/328 |
International
Class: |
G06F 007/00; G06F
009/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computer readable media having a plurality of programming
instructions encoded thereon an adaptive software application
including a plurality of several different types of programming
modules, each of said programming modules being highly
parameterized and to receive a plurality of parameters from an
external source that governs a behavior of said each programming
module to capture information, display information and store said
captured information in one or more occurrence databases, whereby
each of said plurality of modules is adaptable to varying business
requirements through said plurality of externally provided
parameters, and said adaptive software application is assemblable
through repeated copying of various combinations of said plurality
of several different types of programming modules.
2. The computer readable media according to claim 1, wherein each
of the plurality of several different types of programming modules
includes: an interface component to present information to and
accept information from one or more outside sources; a processing
logic component to manipulate and evaluate information based on
received parameters; and a data persistence logic component to
retrieve, add, update and delete data targeting one or more
occurrence databases.
3. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
processing logic component performs comparisons, computations, data
association and data dependency decisions.
4. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
one or more outside sources includes a user interface.
5. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
one or more outside sources includes a World Wide Web page.
6. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
one or more outside sources includes an application programming
interface.
7. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
interface component is parameter driven.
8. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
processing logic component is parameter driven.
9. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
data persistence component is parameter driven.
10. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
interface component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information to control behavior of
the interface component to display information and capture
information.
11. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
processing logic component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information controlling behavior of
the processing logic component to manipulate data.
12. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
data persistence component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information controlling behavior of
the data persistence component to store and edit information in a
meta-model based database.
13. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
interface component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information to control behavior of
the interface component to display information and capture
information, and said data processing component receives one or
more parameters from the definitional database to control behavior
of the processing logic component to manipulate data.
14. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
processing logic component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database to control behavior of the processing logic
component to manipulate data, and said data persistence component
receives one or more parameters from the definitional database
storing information controlling behavior of the data persistence
component to store and edit information in a meta-model based
database.
15. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
data persistence component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information controlling behavior of
the data persistence component to store and edit information in a
meta-model based database, and said interface component receives
one or more parameters from the definitional database storing
information to control behavior of the interface component to
display information and capture information.
16. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
data persistence component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information controlling behavior of
the data persistence component to store and edit information in a
meta-model based database, said interface component receives one or
more parameters from the definitional database storing information
to control behavior of the interface component to display
information and capture information, and said processing logic
component receives one or more parameters from the definitional
database to control behavior of the processing logic component to
manipulate data.
17. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein said
instructions further comprise one or more occurrence databases
storing information captured by one or more of the plurality of
several different types of programming modules.
18. The computer readable media according to claim 17, wherein each
of the one or more occurrence databases storing occurrence
information is assigned to one business process supported by a
business application for which the adaptive software application is
being adapted.
19. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein each
of said one or more occurrence databases storing occurrence
information includes one or more generic tables.
20. The computer readable media according to claim 19, wherein the
one or more generic tables are not specific to any business
process.
21. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein each
of the one or more occurrence databases storing occurrence
information includes one or more meta-model driven tables.
22. The computer readable media according to claim 2, wherein the
one or more meta-model driven tables are not specific to any
business process.
23. An apparatus that can be adapted to a wide variety of business
applications comprising: a first database storing a plurality of
definitional parameters; one or more second databases, each of said
one or more second databases including a plurality of generic
tables; a processor coupled to said first database and said one or
more second databases; and a computer readable media having encoded
thereon an adaptive application including a plurality of different
types of programming modules, each of said programming modules
being highly parameterized and to receive a plurality of parameters
from a first database that govern a behavior of said each
programming module to capture information, display information and
store said captured information in said one or more second
databases, whereby each of said plurality of modules is adaptable
to varying business requirements through said plurality of
parameters stored in the first database, and said adaptive software
application is assemblable through repeated copying of various
combinations of said plurality of several different types of
programming modules.
24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein each of the
plurality of several different types of programming modules
includes: an interface component to present information to and
accept information from one or more outside sources; a processing
logic component to manipulate and evaluate information based on
parameters received from the first database; and a data persistence
logic component to retrieve, add, update, and delete data targeting
said one or more second databases.
25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said processing
logic component performs comparisons and data dependency
decisions.
26. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said one or more
outside sources includes a user.
27. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said one or more
outside sources includes a user interacting with the interface
component via a World Wide Web page.
28. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said one or more
outside sources includes an application programming interface.
29. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said interface
component is parameter driven.
30. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said processing
logic component is parameter driven.
31. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said data
persistence component is parameter driven.
32. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said interface
component receives one or more parameters from the first
database.
33. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said processing
logic component receives one or more parameters from the first
database.
34. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said data
persistence component receives one or more parameters from the
first database.
35. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said interface
component and said processing logic component receive one or more
parameters from the first database.
36. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said processing
logic component and said data persistence component receive one or
more parameters from the first database.
37. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said data
persistence component and said interface component receive one or
more parameters from the first database.
38. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said data
persistence component, said processing logic component and said
interface component receive one or more parameters from the first
database.
39. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein each of the one or
more second databases is assigned to one business process supported
by a business application for which the adaptive application is
being adapted.
40. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein each of said one
or more second databases includes one or more generic tables.
41. The apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the one or more
generic tables are not specific to any business process.
42. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein each of the one or
more the second databases includes one or more meta-model driven
tables.
43. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the one or more
meta-model driven tables are not specific to any business
process.
44. A computer readable media have encoded thereon a software
application that can be adapted to varying business requirements,
said software application comprising a plurality of adaptive units
adapted to interact with a user and further being programmed to:
utilize data from a definition database as parameters that govern
operations for capturing, manipulating and storing of information;
store and retrieve information in an occurrence database including
metal-model based tables; and accommodate storing new data fields
in the occurrence database without requiring restructuring said
occurrence database.
45. A method for adapting a software application to varying
business requirements comprising: providing a plurality of adaptive
units adapted to interact with a user, perform data manipulation
functions, and data persistence functions, said adaptive units:
utilizing data from an external source as parameters that govern
operations for capturing, manipulating and storing information;
storing and retrieving information in an occurrence database
including meta-model based tables; and accommodating storage of new
data fields in the occurrence database without requiring
restructuring said occurrence database.
46. A method for creating a software application comprising:
creating one or more web pages for each of a plurality of
previously identified user interface screens for the software
application by copying a plurality of preexisting web page element
templates in various combinations; assigning one or more view names
to each web page element template copied; inserting the one or more
view names into each copied web page element template; and using
the one or more assigned view names to obtain a plurality of
parameters for the web page element template from a definition
database.
47. The method according to claim 46, further comprising storing in
a definition database all necessary information associated with
each assigned view name.
48. The method according to claim 47, wherein all necessary
information includes one or more of the following: a view, an
entity, an entity ancestry, a plurality of questions, a plurality
of question relations, a plurality of answer options, a plurality
of view items, a plurality of view item dependency lines, and a
plurality of view item dependency values.
49. A method for creating software for a business application
comprising: providing a database including at least a definition
portion and an occurrence portion; providing a plurality of
adaptive units that when arranged in various combinations create a
user interface; and providing a plurality of preexisting code
components, which are reusable and modular in form.
50. A method for creating software for a business comprising:
storing in a definition database information about the business
that is common to one or more processes in a linear flow of the
business; storing in one or more meta-model based tables in each of
one or more occurrence databases information related to a
particular business process of the one or more processes; and
controlling a behavior of one or more adaptive program units to
display information, capture information and store captured
information in the one or more occurrence databases using one or
more parameters from information in the definition database.
51. The method according to claim 50, further comprising linking
data in the one or more occurrence databases of one or more
subsequent processes of the one or more processes of the business
to one or more prior processes in the one or more processes to
provide details in the one or more subsequent processes that are
determinable by the one or more prior processes.
52. A computer readable media having encoded thereon an adaptive
software application comprising: a plurality of reusable elements,
each of said reusable elements being highly parameterized and to
receive a plurality of parameters from an external source that
governs a behavior of said each reusable element to capture
information, display information and store said captured
information in one or more occurrence databases, whereby each of
said plurality of reusable elements is adaptable to varying
business requirements through said plurality of externally provided
parameters, and said adaptive software application is assemblable
through repeated copying of various combinations of said plurality
of reusable elements, each of the plurality of reusable elements
including: an interface component to present information to and
accept information from one or more outside sources; a processing
logic component to manipulate and evaluate information based on
received parameters; and a data persistence logic component to
retrieve, add, update and delete data targeting one or more
occurrence databases.
53. The computer readable media according to claim 52, wherein the
plurality of reusable elements includes a list adaptive unit.
54. The computer readable media according to claim 52, wherein the
plurality of reusable elements includes a detail adaptive unit.
55. The computer readable media according to claim 52, wherein the
plurality of reusable elements includes an updateable list adaptive
unit.
56. The computer readable media according to claim 52, wherein the
plurality of reusable elements includes a dual list adaptive
unit.
57. The computer readable media according to claim 52, wherein the
plurality of reusable elements includes a list adaptive unit and a
detail adaptive unit.
58. The computer readable media according to claim 53, wherein the
list adaptive unit includes one or more of the links associated
with one or more of the events that can be initiated by clicking on
the link associated with said one or more events, wherein said one
or more events includes one or more of the following: a load event,
a view/edit event, an add event and a delete event.
59. The computer readable media according to claim 58, wherein the
list adaptive unit includes one or more of the following
properties: a ViewName property, a DetailTarget property, a
ProductId property and an Occurrence ID property.
60. The computer readable media according to claim 54, wherein the
detail adaptive unit includes one or more of the links associated
with one or more of the events that can be initiated by clicking on
the link associated with said one or more events, wherein said one
or more events includes one or more of the following: a load event,
a new event, a continue event and a submit event.
61. The computer readable media according to claim 60, wherein the
detail adaptive unit includes one or more of the following
properties: a ViewName property, an Occurrence ID property, a
ProductId property and a SegmentNo property.
62. The computer readable media according to claim 56, wherein the
dual-list adaptive unit includes one or more of the links
associated with one or more of the events that can be initiated by
clicking on the link associated with said one or more events,
wherein said one or more events includes one or more of the
following: a load event, a view/edit event, an "add>>" event,
and a "<<Remove" event.
63. The computer readable media according to claim 62, wherein the
dual-list adaptive unit includes one or more of the following
properties: a LeftViewName property, RightViewName property, a
DetailTarget property, a LinkedEntity property, a LinkedQuestion
property, an Occurrence ID property and a ProductId property.
64. The computer readable media according to claim 55, wherein the
updateable-list adaptive unit includes one or more of the links
associated with one or more of the events that can be initiated by
clicking on the link associated with said one or more events,
wherein said one or more events includes one or more of the
following: a load event, an add row event, a delete row event, and
a submit event.
65. The computer readable media according to claim 64, wherein the
updateable-list adaptive unit includes one or more of the following
properties: a ListViewName property, a DetailViewName property, an
Occurrence ID property, and a ProductId property.
66. The computer readable media according to claim 57, wherein the
list adaptive unit includes one or more of the links associated
with one or more of the events that can be initiated by clicking on
the link associated with said one or more events, wherein said one
or more events includes one or more of the following: a load event,
a view/edit event, an add event and a delete event, the list
adaptive unit includes one or more of the following properties: a
ViewName property, a DetailTarget property, a ProductId property
and an Occurrence ID property, and initiating the add event in the
list adaptive unit activates a new event of a detail adaptive unit
using the DetailTarget property, the ProductId property, and the
OccurranceId property of a parent occurrence for a list.
67. The computer readable media according to claim 59, wherein
initiating the delete event of the list adaptive unit deletes the
contract occurrence with the occurrenceID property and the deleted
occurrence is removed from a display.
68. The computer readable media according to claim 57, wherein the
list adaptive unit includes one or more of the links associated
with one or more of the events that can be initiated by clicking on
the link associated with said one or more events, wherein said one
or more events includes one or more of the following: a load event,
a view/edit event, an add event and a delete event, the list
adaptive unit includes one or more of the following properties: a
ViewName property, a DetailTarget property, a ProductId property
and an Occurrence ID property, and initiating the view/edit event
in the list adaptive unit activates the load event of the detail
adaptive unit using the DetailTarget property, the ProductId
property, and the OccurranceId property of a selected item.
69. The computer readable media according to claim 59, wherein
initiating the load event in the list adaptive unit comprises the
following actions: a plurality of View attributes are retrieved
using the ViewName property; a plurality of attributes of each View
Item are retrieved for the ViewName property and the ProductId
property; for each View Item, a plurality of Question attributes
are retrieved; using an OccurranceId property as a "parent-id", a
plurality of "children" Contract Occurrences are retrieved from a
Contract Ancestry; a plurality of Contract Answers are retrieved
for a plurality of Questions related to the View Items from each
occurrence; and a plurality of answers are displayed for each
Contract Occurrence in a separate line.
70. The computer readable media according to claim 61, wherein
initiating the load event in the detail adaptive unit comprises the
following actions: a) initializing the SegmentNo to one; b)
retrieving a plurality of View Attributes using the ViewName; c)
retrieving a plurality of attributes for each View Item for the
ViewName and the ProductId; d) retrieving for each View Item, a
plurality of View Item Dependency Lines and a plurality of View
Item Dependency Values; e) performing, for each View Item related
to a Question, the following: (i) retrieving a plurality of
question attributes; and (ii) performing, if the SegmentNo is equal
to the a Segment of the View Item, the following: (1) if the
ProductId is not zero, overriding a plurality of Question
attributes using a Contract Question by Product; (2) retrieving, if
the question has a plurality of answer options and ProductID is
zero, a plurality of attributes of each answer option; (3) using
the OccurrenceID retrieving the contract answer, if any, for a
question; and (4) performing, if the question has a plurality of
question relations, the following: (A) retrieving a plurality of
attributes of each question relation; (B) retrieving, for a default
relation and a derive relation, a Contract Answer from a plurality
of higher level contract entities using the OccurranceId and a
Contract Ancestry to determine a value of an answer; (C)
retrieving, for a link question relation, a set of possible
selections using the ProductId; and (D) retrieving, for a dynamic
question relation, a plurality of attributes from a Contract
Question By Product Occurrence and from a Contract Answer Option by
Product Occurrence; and f) displaying, after eliminating a
plurality of View Items that are inapplicable because of a
plurality of question dependency conditions, a remaining plurality
of View Items with a Segment equal to the SegmentNo along with a
plurality of answers that are not hyperlinked.
71. The computer readable media according to claim 61, wherein
initiating the new event in the detail adaptive unit comprises the
following actions: a) initializing the SegmentNo to one; b)
retrieving a plurality of View Attributes using the ViewName; c)
retrieving a plurality of attributes for each View Item for the
ViewName and the ProductId; d) retrieving, for each View Item, a
plurality of View Item Dependency Lines and a plurality of View
Item Dependency Values; e) performing, for each View Item related
to a Question, the following: (i) retrieving a plurality of
question attributes; and (ii) performing, if the SegmentNo is equal
to a Segment of the View Item, the following: (1) if the ProductId
is not zero, overriding a plurality of Question attributes using a
Contract Question by Product; (2) retrieving, if the question has a
plurality of answer options and ProductID is zero, a plurality of
attributes of each answer option; (3) performing, if the question
has a plurality of question relations, the following: (A)
retrieving a plurality of attributes of each question relation; (B)
retrieving, for a default relation and a derive relation, a
Contract Answer from a plurality of higher level contract entities
using the OccurrenceId and a Contract Ancestry to determine a value
of an answer; (C) retrieving, for a link question relation, a set
of possible selections using the ProductId; and (D) retrieving, for
a dynamic question relation, a plurality of attributes from a
Contract Question By Product Occurrence and from a Contract Answer
Option by Product Occurrence; and f) displaying, after eliminating
a plurality of View Items that are inapplicable because of a
plurality of question dependency conditions, a remaining plurality
of View Items with a Segment equal to the SegmentNo along with a
plurality of answers that are not hyperlinked.
72. The computer readable media according to claim 61, wherein
initiating the continue event in the detail adaptive unit comprises
the following actions: a) increasing the SegmentNo by one; b)
performing, for each View Item with a Segment equal to the
SegmentNo that is related to a Question, the following: (i) if the
ProductId is not zero, overriding a plurality of Question
attributes using a Contract Question by Product; (ii) retrieving,
if the question has a plurality of answer options and ProductID is
zero, a plurality of attributes of each answer option; (iii)
retrieving, using the occurenceID, a contract answer, if any, for a
question; (iv) performing, if the question has a plurality of
question relations, the following: (1) retrieving a plurality of
attributes of each question relation; (2) retrieving, for a default
relation and a derive relation, a Contract Answer from a plurality
of higher level contract entities using the OccurranceId and a
Contract Ancestry to determine a value of an answer; (3)
retrieving, for a link question relation, a set of possible
selections using the ProductId; and (D) retrieving, for a dynamic
question relation, a plurality of attributes from a Contract
Question By Product Occurrence and from a Contract Answer Option by
Product Occurrence; f) displaying the plurality of the View Items
with a Segment less than SegmentNo along with a plurality of
hyperlinked answers; and g) displaying, after eliminating a
plurality of View Items that are inapplicable because of a
plurality of question dependency conditions, a remaining plurality
of View Items with a Segment equal to the SegmentNo along with a
plurality of answers that are not hyperlinked.
73. The computer readable media according to claim 61, wherein
initiating the submit event in the detail adaptive unit comprises
the following actions: adding, if a new Contract Occurrence has
been introduced, the new Contract Occurrence to a database; adding
each new Contract Answer to the database; updating each Contract
Answer that has been modified in the database; and deleting one or
more questions that have been deleted or made inapplicable by one
or more dependency conditions from the database.
74. The computer readable media according to claim 63, wherein
initiating the load event in the dual-list adaptive unit comprises
the following actions: a) performing, for a list on a right side
and for selected items, the following: (i) retrieving a plurality
of View attributes using a RightViewName; (ii) retrieving a
plurality of attributes of each View Item for the RightViewName and
the ProductId; (iii) retrieving, for each View Item, a plurality of
Question attributes; (iv) using the OccurranceId as a parent-id, a
plurality of children Contract Occurrences are retrieved from a
Contract Ancestry; (v) obtaining a plurality of Contract Answers
for the plurality of Questions related to the plurality of View
Items from each occurrence; and (vi) displaying the plurality of
answers for each Contract Occurrence in a separate line; and b)
performing, for a list on a left side and for selected items, the
following: (i) retrieving a plurality of View attributes using a
LeftViewName; (ii) retrieving a plurality of attributes of each
View Item for the LeftViewName; (iii) retrieving, for each View
Item, a plurality of Question attributes; (iv) finding all Product
Occurrences that contain a Product Answer for the question
identified by TargetEntity and TargetQuestion; (v) obtaining a
plurality of Contract Answers for the plurality of Questions
related to the plurality of View Items from each occurrence; (vi)
displaying a plurality of answers for each Product Occurrence in a
separate line excluding a plurality of occurrences that are already
selected.
75. The computer readable media according to claim 52, wherein the
plurality of reusable elements includes a dual-list adaptive unit
and a detail adaptive unit.
76. The computer readable media according to claim 75, wherein the
dual-list adaptive unit includes one or more of the links
associated with one or more of the events that can be initiated by
clicking on the link associated with said one or more events,
wherein said one or more events includes one or more of the
following: a load event, a view/edit event, an "add>>" event,
and a "<<Remove" event.
77. The computer readable media according to claim 76, wherein the
dual-list adaptive unit includes one or more of the following
properties: a LeftViewName property, RightViewName property, a
DetailTarget property, a LinkedEntity property, a LinkedQuestion
property, an Occurrence ID property and a ProductId property.
78. The computer readable media according to claim 76, wherein the
detail adaptive unit includes one or more of the links associated
with one or more of the events that can be initiated by clicking on
the link associated with said one or more events, wherein said one
or more events includes one or more of the following: a load event,
a new event, a continue event and a submit event.
79. The computer readable media according to claim 78, wherein the
detail adaptive unit includes one or more of the following
properties: a ViewName property, an Occurrence ID property, a
ProductId property and a SegmentNo property.
80. The computer readable media according to claim 79, wherein
initiating the view/edit event in the dual-list adaptive unit
activates the load event of the detail Adaptive Unit using the
DetailTarget property, the ProductId property, and the OccurranceId
property of a selected item.
81. The computer readable media according to claim 79, wherein
initiating the "add>>" event in the dual-list adaptive unit
activates the new event of the detail Adaptive Unit using the
DetailTarget property, the ProductId property, and the OccurranceId
property of a parent occurrence for a list.
82. The computer readable media according to claim 63, wherein
initiating the "<<remove" event of the dual-list adaptive
unit deletes the contract occurrence with the occurrenceID
property, the deleted occurrence is removed from a display on the
right list and a corresponding occurrence on a left list is
displayed.
83. The computer readable media according to claim 65, wherein
initiating the load event in the updateable adaptive unit comprises
the following actions: a) retrieving a plurality of View Attributes
using a ListViewName; b) retrieving a plurality of attributes for
each View Item for the ListViewName and a ProductId; c) retrieving
a plurality of attributes for each View Item for a DetailViewName
and the productID; d) performing, for each View Item for the
DetailViewName and the ProductId, the following: (i) retrieving a
plurality of question attributes; (ii) overriding, the productId is
not zero, the plurality of question attributes using a contract by
question by product; (iii) retrieving, if the question has a
plurality of answer options and ProductID is zero, a plurality of
attributes of each answer option; (iv) performing, if the question
has a plurality of question relations, the following: (1)
retrieving a plurality of attributes of each question relation; (2)
retrieving, for a default relation and a derive relation, a
Contract Answer from a plurality of higher level contract entities
using the OccurranceId and a Contract Ancestry to determine a value
of an answer; (3) retrieving, for a link question relation, a set
of possible selections using the ProductId; and (4) retrieving, for
a dynamic question relation, a plurality of attributes from a
Contract Question By Product Occurrence and from a Contract Answer
Option by Product Occurrence; f) using an OccurranceId as a
parent-id, retrieving a plurality of children Contract Occurrences
from a Contract Ancestry; g) obtaining a plurality of Contract
Answers for a plurality of Questions related to the DetailViewName
View Items from each occurrence; and h) displaying a plurality of
answers for each contract occurrence in a separate line.
84. The computer readable media according to claim 65, wherein
initiating the add row event of the updateable list adaptive unit
adds a blank new row to an updateable list filling in a plurality
of default values, if any with no database changes.
85. The computer readable media according to claim 65, wherein
initiating the delete row event of the updateable list adaptive
unit deletes the indicated row from an updateable list with no
database changes.
86. The computer readable media according to claim 65, wherein
initiating the submit event in the updateable list adaptive unit
comprises the following actions: adding each new Contract
Occurrence, if any, to a database; adding each new Contract Answer,
if any, to the database; updating each Contract Answer that has
been modified in the database; and deleting one or more questions
that have been deleted or made inapplicable by one or more
dependency conditions from the database.
87. A computer readable media having encoded thereon an adaptive
programming module that is highly parameterized receives a
plurality of parameters from an external source that governs a
behavior of said programming module to capture information, display
information and store said captured information in an occurrence
database, whereby said module is adaptable to varying business
requirements through said plurality of externally provided
parameters, wherein said adaptive programming module includes: an
interface component to present information to and accept
information from an outside source; a processing logic component to
manipulate and evaluate information based on received parameters;
and a data persistence logic component to retrieve, add, update and
delete data targeting the occurrence database.
88. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
processing logic component performs comparisons and data dependency
decisions.
89. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
outside source includes a user interface.
90. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
outside source includes a World Wide Web page.
91. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
outside source includes an application programming interface.
92. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
interface component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information to control behavior of
the interface component to display information and capture
information.
93. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
processing logic component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information controlling behavior of
the processing logic component to manipulate data.
94. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
data persistence component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information controlling behavior of
the data persistence component to store and edit information in a
meta-model based database.
95. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
interface component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information to control behavior of
the interface component to display information and capture
information, and said data processing component receives one or
more parameters from the definitional database to control behavior
of the processing logic component to manipulate data.
96. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
processing logic component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database to control behavior of the processing logic
component to manipulate data, and said data persistence component
receives one or more parameters from the definitional database
storing information controlling behavior of the data persistence
component to store and edit information in a meta-model based
database.
97. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
data persistence component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information controlling behavior of
the data persistence component to store and edit information in a
meta-model based database, and said interface component receives
one or more parameters from the definitional database storing
information to control behavior of the interface component to
display information and capture information.
98. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein said
data persistence component receives one or more parameters from a
definitional database storing information controlling behavior of
the data persistence component to store and edit information in a
meta-model based database, said interface component receives one or
more parameters from the definitional database storing information
to control behavior of the interface component to display
information and capture information, and said processing logic
component receives one or more parameters from the definitional
database to control behavior of the processing logic component to
manipulate data.
99. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein the
adaptive programming module comprises a list adaptive unit.
100. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein the
adaptive programming module comprises a detail adaptive unit.
101. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein the
adaptive programming module comprises an updateable list adaptive
unit.
102. The computer readable media according to claim 87, wherein the
adaptive programming module comprises a dual list adaptive unit.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to methods and
apparatuses for developing software, and more particularly to a
method and apparatus for developing software for business solutions
in a rapid manner.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material that may be subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of the patent
document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent
& Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
[0003] To date, software applications for businesses have required
significant development time and once built cannot be easily
modified to adapt to changes in business needs. Given the length of
the development cycle vis--vis the length of the business cycle,
this almost always leads to software systems that are outdated the
moment they are completed.
[0004] For example, in the insurance industry computer systems
exist to administer insurance policies for large insurers. These
large software systems took years to implement and are not flexible
enough to evolve with the business. As a result, most insurance
companies today have out-of-date and inflexible systems and are
confronted with excessive costs and delays in introducing new
technologies and maintaining legacy systems. For example, the cost
of handling year 2000 issues in the insurance industry was
exorbitant. Consequently, many insurance companies seek to free
themselves of their legacy system overhead and replace them with
web-based solutions that are easy to use, support multiple
insurance products, and keep up with changes in the business.
[0005] An insurance executive who decides to address these issues
and surveys similar projects recently undertaken by other insurance
companies will find an inadequate value proposition. The planned
cost for such a project ranges from $10,000,000 to $50,000,000 just
for software, consulting, and personnel expenses. The planned time
to complete the entire system is 2 to 4 years without any tangible
result for about 18 months. The project requires input from a
number of knowledgeable business staff that will typically need to
be dedicated to the project for months or years. In addition, the
project has a very high risk of failure. Most projects far exceed
the planned cost and time. Some projects are terminated with no
result. Those that are implemented often lack the functionality and
flexibility initially envisioned, resulting in yet another "legacy"
system.
[0006] In an attempt to deal with their past inability to address
the issues of speed, cost, and flexibility, software vendors have
recently been emphasizing the "componentized" nature of their
software. In theory, component-based software architectures enable
customers to develop systems quickly by reusing components,
ultimately reducing system maintenance costs.
[0007] While the advantages of this component rationale have been
highly touted, the expected benefits have yet to manifest
themselves. Current projects utilizing even the newest software
products marketed in this manner are still facing implementation
schedules of two to four years or more. In reality, considerable
programming effort is required to implement component-based systems
to coordinate the functionality of all the components. Components
may be reused but the custom logic that binds them into an
operational system must still be specified and coded requiring
additional consulting and personnel expenses. Therefore, by itself
componentized software is not a solution to the above problem.
[0008] One attempted solution to the problem has been described in
U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,394, which discloses a method and system for
database application software creation with minimal programming.
This type of system consists of a surrogate environment, which is
used to capture the requirements for the target application; a code
generator, which synthesizes the code and creates the database for
the target application based on the information from the surrogate
environment, and the target application itself.
[0009] However, the use of this approach introduces a large
overhead and imposes certain restrictions that are idiosyncratic to
each code synthesizer. Most insurance companies prefer a system
that does not use a code synthesizer.
[0010] The present invention is therefore directed to the problem
of developing a method and apparatus for building software based
systems for business solutions, which method and apparatus enable
these software-based systems to be developed and fielded rapidly
while providing the ability to accept modifications and new
requirements in short order, yet reduce the associated costs of
development and maintenance while avoiding the use of a code
synthesizer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention solves these and other problems by
providing an adaptive software application that consists of several
types of modules, called Adaptive Units, which are highly
parameterized such that they can adapt to varying business
requirements by virtue of externally provided parameters. An
Adaptive Application is assembled through repeated use of various
combinations of different types of Adaptive Units. Large and
complex business systems can be rapidly implemented through this
approach.
[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, an
Adaptive Unit includes an interface component that can present
information to and accept information from the outside world (such
as a web page or a system interface), a processing logic component
that can manipulate and evaluate information based on parameters
received (such as comparisons and decisions as in the case of data
dependency decisions), and a data persistence logic component that
retrieves, adds, updates, and deletes data targeting one or more
Occurrence Databases.
[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, all
three components of an Adaptive Unit are parameter driven. These
parameters are not specific to any particular business. One
embodiment for providing parameters to these components includes a
Definition Database, which is detailed below.
[0014] According to still another aspect of the present invention
unit there may be one or more Occurrence Databases depending on the
number of business processes supported by the business application
for which the Adaptive Application is being adapted. Typically,
there is one Occurrence Database per business process.
[0015] According to yet another aspect of the present invention,
the Occurrence Database includes generic (also referred to as meta
model driven) tables that are not specific to any particular
business.
[0016] The Adaptive Application disclosed herein accelerates
business software implementation, reduces the cost of system
development and system evolution, improves overall system quality
and usability, enables a business to take advantage of previously
unapproachable niche product opportunities, and mitigates project
risks associated with large systems initiatives.
[0017] While the Adaptive Application invention can be employed for
many types of business applications, an exemplary embodiment of an
apparatus can be used for creating, managing and administering
insurance policies, which is referred to as PolicyWriter. This
embodiment can be programmed in Java and HTML code. The system is
highly portable and can utilize any JDBC compliant data base
management system (e.g., DB2, Oracle, Sybase, MS SQL Server). The
embodiment includes an XML oriented database architecture making it
readily able to provide enterprise application integration with
other systems and communicate externally with other business
partners.
[0018] According to one aspect of the present invention,
embodiments herein utilize software templates that make it possible
to reuse all of the business logic without limiting the ability to
customize these templates as needed. This represents a major leap
to what is currently available in the marketplace.
[0019] The embodiment is a comprehensive policy administration
system that offers unprecedented speed, flexibility, and
functionality at an attractive price. It enables a significant
reduction in planned costs, time, and resources.
[0020] Other aspects of the present invention will become apparent
based upon a reading of the following detailed description in light
of the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of
an Adaptive Unit according to one aspect of the present
invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 depicts a data structure of an exemplary embodiment
of a flexible database used in various embodiments for single
business processes according to one aspect of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 3 depicts a data structure of an exemplary embodiment
of a flexible database used in various embodiments for multiple
business processes according to one aspect of the present
invention.
[0024] FIG. 4 depicts a data structure of another exemplary
embodiment of a flexible database used in various embodiments for
multiple business processes with relative customization according
to one aspect of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 5 depicts a table of the properties by Adaptive Unit
according to another aspect of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 6A depicts the process outline for the Add event of the
List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0027] FIG. 6B depicts the process outline for the Delete event of
the List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0028] FIG. 7 depicts the process outline for the View/Edit event
of the List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the
present invention.
[0029] FIGS. 8A-C depict the process outline for the Load event of
the Detail Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0030] FIGS. 9A-C depict the process outline for the New event of
the Detail Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0031] FIG. 9D depicts the process outline for the Load event of
the List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0032] FIGS. 10A-B depict the process outline for the Continue
event of the Detail Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of
the present invention.
[0033] FIGS. 11A-B depict an exemplary embodiment of a process for
rapidly converting an existing application into a company specific
insurance policy management application according to still another
aspect of the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 11C depicts the process outline for the Submit event of
the Detail Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0035] FIGS. 11D-E depict the process outline for the Load event of
the Dual List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the
present invention.
[0036] FIG. 11F depicts the process outline for the View/Edit event
of the Dual List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the
present invention.
[0037] FIG. 11G depicts the process outline for the Add>>
event of the Dual List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of
the present invention.
[0038] FIG. 11H depicts the process outline for the <<Remove
event of the Dual List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of
the present invention.
[0039] FIGS. 11I-K depict the process outline for the Load event of
the Updateable List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of
the present invention.
[0040] FIG. 11L depicts the process outline for the Add Row event
of the Updateable List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of
the present invention.
[0041] FIG. 11M depicts the process outline for the Delete Row
event of the Updateable List Adaptive Unit according to another
aspect of the present invention.
[0042] FIG. 11N depicts the process outline for the Submit event of
the Updateable List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of
the present invention.
[0043] FIG. 12 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a header area of
a web page employed as a user interface.
[0044] FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a context area of
a web page employed as a user interface.
[0045] FIG. 14 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a navigation bar
of a web page employed as a user interface.
[0046] FIG. 15 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a signature area
of a web page employed as a user interface.
[0047] FIG. 16 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a function bar of
a web page employed as a user interface.
[0048] FIG. 17 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an error display
area of a web page employed as a user interface.
[0049] FIG. 18 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a main body of a
web page employed as a user interface.
[0050] FIG. 19 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a List Adaptive
Unit according to another aspect of the present invention.
[0051] FIG. 20 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a Detail Adaptive
Unit according to another aspect of the present invention.
[0052] FIG. 21 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an Updateable
List Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0053] FIG. 22 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a Dual List
Adaptive Unit according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0054] FIG. 23 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a List-Detail
combination Adaptive Unit, which is a combination of a List
Adaptive Unit and a Detail Adaptive Unit, according to another
aspect of the present invention.
[0055] FIG. 24 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a Dual
List-Detail combination Adaptive Unit, which is a combination of a
Dual List Adaptive Unit and a Detail Adaptive Unit, according to
another aspect of the present invention.
[0056] FIG. 25 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a Detail-List
combination Adaptive Unit, which is a combination of a Detail
Adaptive Unit and a List Adaptive Unit, according to another aspect
of the present invention.
[0057] FIGS. 26-27 depict exemplary embodiments of a Linked
Question Source according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0058] FIGS. 28-30 depict exemplary embodiments of a Derived
Question Source according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0059] FIGS. 31-33 depict exemplary embodiments of a Defaulted
Question Source according to another aspect of the present
invention.
[0060] FIG. 34 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a Question
Relation of Type A according to another aspect of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0061] It is worthy to note that any reference herein to "one
embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature,
structure, or characteristic described in connection with the
embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention.
The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places
in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same
embodiment.
[0062] As stated above, the inventions herein are applicable to
many types of business applications, including but not limited to
insurance policy management, financial services and product design,
management and implementation, legal services, industrial
processes, architectural design, etc. to name only a few. Other
applications will become apparent based on the description
herein.
[0063] To facilitate an understanding of the various inventions
herein, an embodiment relating to management of insurance policies
will now be described. Many of the steps in creating the necessary
application require interaction with the customer to determine the
requirements of the particular application. These requirements are
embodied in the navigational design of the web pages and the layout
of the various web pages. Once the navigational design and layouts
are complete, the inventions herein enable rapid development of the
necessary web screens. This will become apparent in the following
exemplary embodiment.
[0064] Overall Process for Creating Insurance Policy Management
Application
[0065] The present invention includes inter alia an adaptive
application that can be adapted to a wide variety of business
applications, including insurance and financial services, to name
only a few. The adaptive application includes the core modules
needed to perform the main functionality of any business
application.
[0066] Turning to FIGS. 11-12, a process for adapting the software
application to manage policies for an insurance company is shown
therein. In this exemplary embodiment, the resulting application
must create, manage and administer a variety of insurance products,
some of which may be developed after the creation of this software
application.
[0067] The first step 101 of adapting the adaptive application for
an insurance company to manage its policies consists of identifying
the screens needed for entering and modifying the information to
describe the insurance products (e.g., what coverages, limits,
deductibles are offered) to be managed by the application.
Typically, this step is part of an interview process with the
various employees and managers of the insurance company. In
conventional software developments, this step is often employed
later in the process, but the inventors have determined that by
identifying these screens first, the application can be built more
rapidly than heretofore possible.
[0068] Once the screens are identified, the web pages can be
created. According to one aspect of the present invention, the
inventors have identified that any web page needed in these
business applications can be created from various combinations of
Adaptive Units, which will be described in more detail below. By
reusing the Adaptive Units in necessary and/or desired
combinations, any web page or screen can be created in a fraction
of the time heretofore possible. This significantly speeds up the
process of developing these types of large software applications.
Moreover, while the Adaptive Units are described herein with
respect to web pages, Adaptive Units can be configured to interact
with other interfaces.
[0069] The Adaptive Units set forth herein provide three levels of
functionality--interfacing with a user, performing data
manipulation and performing data persistence functions with the
Occurrence Database. These functions will be described more
completely later. There are several different types of Adaptive
Units, which are discussed below. By combining each type of
Adaptive Unit with other types, as necessary, any interface screen
or device can be created, thereby removing the requirement for
developing these separately.
[0070] For each screen identified in Step 1 (element 101), next the
Adaptive Units are created (element 102), which are copies of
Adaptive Unit Templates that apply to that screen. In this case,
the user identifies the necessary functionality and uses the
various Adaptive Unit types to create the necessary functionality
of the interface.
[0071] A View Name is assigned to each Adaptive Unit by inserting
it into the copied software (element 103). Each Adaptive Unit uses
this View Name to obtain all of its parameters. Some Adaptive Units
may require two View Names. The View Name links externally supplied
parameters to the particular Adaptive Unit, thereby enabling the
Adaptive Unit to be adapted to a specific function desired by the
user.
[0072] In the Definition Database, the necessary information
associated with each View Name that has been assigned is created
(element 104). This information includes VIEW, ENTITY, ENTITY
ANCESTRY, QUESTIONS, QUESTION RELATIONS, ANSWER OPTIONS, VIEW
ITEMS, VIEW ITEM DEPENDENCY LINES, and VIEW ITEM DEPENDENCY VALUES
(see FIG. 2). All of these information elements are not specific to
any given business process, and therefore can be filled with
information necessary to any given business process. Thus, the
Adaptive Units can receive parameters that are unique to each
business process to which the application is being adapted through
these information fields from, for example the Definition Database.
This information could be provided by another method, such as via
an application programming interface to name only one
possibility.
[0073] Next, all the Adaptive Units are assembled into a "Product
Definition" application (element 105). In other words, this Product
Definition application is the first application for which the
Adaptive Application was adapted. This Product Definition
application creates the web pages or screens and functionality that
were identified in step 101.
[0074] The Product Definition Application is then used to enter the
information to describe each insurance product (106).
[0075] Now the process moves to FIG. 11 (element 107), which
depicts the process for adapting the Adaptive Application into an
application for creating insurance policies 110.
[0076] At this point it becomes necessary to identify the screens
needed for entering and modifying the information to describe
policies (e.g., insured's name, address, selected coverages, limits
and deductibles) (element 111).
[0077] For each screen identified in the immediately preceding
paragraph, the Adaptive Units are created (element 112), which
Adaptive units are copies of the Adaptive Unit Templates that apply
to that screen.
[0078] A View Name is then assigned to each newly created Adaptive
Unit, by inserting it into the copied software (element 113). The
Adaptive Unit will use this View Name to obtain all of its
parameters. As before, some Adaptive Units may require two View
Names.
[0079] In the Definition Database, the necessary information
associated with each View Name that has been assigned is created
(element 114). This information consists of two types. The
cross-product information includes VIEW, ENTITY, ENTITY ANCESTRY,
QUESTIONS, QUESTION RELATIONS, ANSWER OPTIONS, VIEW ITEMS, VIEW
ITEM DEPENDENCY LINES, and VIEW ITEM DEPENDENCY VALUES. All of
these information elements are not specific to any given business
process, and therefore can be filled with information necessary to
a given business process. Thus, the Adaptive Units for this
business process can receive parameters that are unique to each
business process to which the application is being adapted through
these information fields from, for example the Definition Database.
This information could be provided by another method, such as via
an application programming interface to name only one possibility.
The product specific information includes CONTRACT QUESTION BY
PRODUCT, CONTRACT QUESTION BY PRODUCT OCCURRENCE, and CONTRACT
ANSWER OPTION BY PRODUCT OCCURRENCE. These information elements
make it possible to vary the definition parameters for one business
process (in this case, Contract Sales) with respect to the elements
of another business process (in this case, Product Development). As
a result, in this embodiment, the parameters that govern the
behavior of the Adaptive Application for selling contracts can be
varied by product or a subcomponent of a product such as Coverage
Type.
[0080] Next, all the Adaptive Units are assembled into the "Policy
Writing" application (element 115).
[0081] Then, the Policy Writing Application is used to write
policies (element 116). Thus, this process 110 ends (element
117).
[0082] System Components
[0083] The embodiments of the present invention include several
elements: Adaptive Units, Definition parameters, and one or more
Occurrence Databases.
[0084] According to one aspect of the present invention, the
business is reduced to a linear flow of business processes. An
occurrence database is assigned to each process of the flow. Links
between subsequent processes in the linear flow of the business are
established to provide details in subsequent processes that are
determined by earlier processes of the overall business.
[0085] For example, in the insurance policy management business, a
process for creating the insurance products is identified and an
occurrence database is defined and associated with this process. A
second process is identified as the insurance policy writing
process that can only occur based on insurance products defined in
the earlier process of product definition. This business process
identification can then continue through the entire operation of
the business.
[0086] Database
[0087] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a data structure 20
for the database used in the various embodiments herein. The
database is composed of at least two parts--a definition database
21 and one or more occurrence databases 22. A data dictionary is
included herein as Appendix A. The terms used below are defined
more completely therein. The relationship and interlinks between
these databases are shown in FIG. 1. The Occurrence Database 22
consists of generic (also referred to as meta model driven) tables
that are not specific to any business process.
[0088] The notation linking the various blocks is in standard form,
which indicates the relationship between various blocks. For
example, each entity may have zero (indicated by the zero in the
line linking the two blocks), one (indicated by the one written
across the line linking the two blocks) or more contract
occurrences (indicated by the "crows feet" symbol at the end of the
link between the two blocks). Moreover, each contract occurrence
has one and must have one entity. Thus, this notation depicts the
relationship between the two blocks. Each block represents a table
in the database. Each table may have one or more entries. The links
between boxes are links between the tables in the database.
[0089] The Definition Database 21 includes an Entity table 21a, to
which there may be linked tables for Entity Ancestry 21b, View 21c,
and Question 21d. In turn, the View table 21c may be linked to
multiple tables of View Items 21f, which may be linked to one or
more tables of View Item Dependency Lines 21e and which in turn may
be linked to one or more tables of View Item Dependency Values 21i.
There may be links between the table of Questions 21d and the View
Item table 21f, as well as to the Question Relation table 21g and
the Answer Option table 21h.
[0090] Thus, in FIG. 2, the Occurrence Database 22 has a Master
Business Process (BP) Occurrence Table 22a, to which may be linked
multiple tables of Business Process Occurrences 22b, which in turn
may have multiple tables of Business Process Answers 22c and
Business Process Ancestry 22d.
[0091] One or more Business Process Occurrence tables 22b may be
linked to the Entity table 21a. The Business Process Answer tables
22c may be linked to the Question table 21d.
[0092] FIG. 3 depicts the data structure 30 for the database in a
situation in which there is more than one business process. In this
case, there is at least one Occurrence Database for each business
process. This data structure 30 includes a Definition Database 31
and two Occurrence Databases 32-1, 32-2, one for Business Process 1
and another for Business Process 2. The only difference between
this data structure 30 and that shown in FIG. 2, other than the
second Occurrence Database 32-2, is additional links 33, 34 between
the Definition Database and the two Occurrence Databases 32-1,
32-2.
[0093] FIG. 4 depicts the Adaptive Application Data Structure 40
with Multiple Business Processes and Relative Customization. The
data structure 40 in this version has been modified to customize
the Definition Database 41 so that an upstream business process can
affect answers to downstream business processes. Thus, there are
three additional tables provided in the Definition Database 41,
which include Business Process 2 Question by Business Process 1
42a, Business Process 2 Question by Business Process 1 Occurrence
42c, and Business Process 2 Answer Option by Business Process 1
Occurrence 42b. In this case, the Business Process 1 Occurrence
Database is for an upstream Business Process, which is upstream in
the business relative to Business Process 2. Thus, the Business
Process 1 to which a particular Business Process 2 is applicable
can alter questions (i.e., fields) and answers in the Definition
Database 41. Additional links 43a-h are necessary to supply the
required functionality.
[0094] Definition Database
[0095] Throughout the description there will be reference made to
Product, which is a first business process (BP1) in the insurance
business, and Contract, which is a second business process (BP2) in
the insurance business relative to Product. The names are used in
certain instances to provide more meaning to the reader than the
generic names, however, these tables are not specific to any
business and can be employed to adapt the Adaptive Application to
any desired business.
[0096] The Entity Table specifies details of each entity defined in
the logical model. For example, PRODUCT, PRODUCT COVERAGE, POLICY,
POLICY COVERAGE are defined therein for a business process of
PRUDUCT in the insurance business.
[0097] The Entity Ancestry Table specifies the parent-child
relationship between two entities in the conceptual model. For
example, there is a parent-child relationship between POLICY &
POLICY LOCATION in the insurance business.
[0098] The Question Table specifies each "Question" associated with
an Entity. The View Table normally corresponds to one Adaptive
Unit. Sometimes more than one Adaptive Unit utilizes the same view.
An Interface (a web page or an external interface) consists of one
or more Views. Each View consists of a selection of elements from
one "Entity."
[0099] This Contract (BP2) Question of a Product (BP1) Table
specifies the properties for a Contract (BP2) Question of a Product
(BP1).
[0100] The Question Relation Table specifies the relationship
between two Questions.
[0101] The View Item Table defines each item in a View. The View
Item can be an Image, a Literal (i.e., text) or a Question with a
number of properties that specify its label and control the capture
and display of its answer. The View Item specifies the presentation
characteristics for each displayed element.
[0102] The View Item Dependency Line Table defines the dependencies
or the condition under which the View Item (e.g., display element)
is presented. This provides a way by which a display element can be
presented only under certain conditions. Dependency Line along with
Dependency Value enables specification of any complex expression.
The Dependency Expression is a complex Boolean expression with the
left side operand is a Question and the right side operand can be a
literal or a Question. The comparison operator can be one of <,
>, <=, >=, < >, =. The operations can be grouped by
appropriate parentheses. For example a valid expression is
((Coverage=C1 or C2 or C3) AND (Vehicle Type =T1 or T2 or T3)).
[0103] This Dependency Value Table defines the set of values that
need to be satisfied with Dependency Line Primary Q. Each instance
specifies one value of the OR expression (in the example C1, C2 and
C3). Each value may be a constant or another Question (specified
here as the Secondary Question).
[0104] The Master Product (BP1) Occurrence Table contains one
record for every instance of a Product (BP1).
[0105] The Product (BP1) Occurrence Table contains one record for
each occurrence of each entity in the Product (BP1) hierarchy.
[0106] The Product (BP1) Ancestry Table identifies the parent-child
relationships between Product (BP1) Occurrences.
[0107] The Product (BP1) Answer Table contains the values for the
individual attributes of a Product (BP1) Occurrence.
[0108] The Long Product (BP1) Answer Table contains the Product
(BP1) Answer value if the Product (BP1) Answer's size exceeds 20
characters.
[0109] The Contract (BP2) Question by Product (BP2) Occurrence
Table specifies the overriding values for presentation
characteristics of a Question based on Product (BP1)
Occurrence.
[0110] The Product (BP1) Answer Option Table specifies the possible
values for the Answer of a Question relative to a particular
Product (BP1) Occurrence Question. If the Product (BP1) Occurrence
Question Answer Option Category is 1 (specific list), each possible
value is specified in this table, one record per value. If it is 2
(ranges of values), then each range must be specified in one record
using From, To and Increment.
[0111] The Answer Option Table specifies the possible values for
all Questions including variations by Product. If the Question
Answer Option Category is 1 (specific list), each possible value is
specified in this table, one record per value. If it is 2 (ranges
of values), then each range must be specified in one record using
From, To and Increment.
[0112] The Master Contract (BP2) Occurrence Table contains one
record for every instance of a Contract (BP2). This record ties
together all the details for the Contract (BP2).
[0113] The Contract (BP2) Occurrence Table contains one record for
each occurrence of each entity in the Contract (BP2) hierarchy.
[0114] The Contract (BP2) Ancestry Table identifies the
parent-child relationships between Contract (BP2) Occurrences.
[0115] The Contract (BP2) Answer Table contains the values for the
individual attributes of a Contract (BP2) Occurrence.
[0116] The Long Contract (BP2) Answer Table contains the Contract
(BP2) Answer value if the Contract (BP2) Answer's size exceeds 20
characters.
[0117] User Interface
[0118] Turning to FIG. 12, every user interface that is manifest as
a web page 120 typically includes the following elements--a header
area 121 (see FIG. 12), a context area 131 (see FIG. 13), a
navigation bar 141 (see FIG. 14), a signature area 151 (see FIG.
15), a function bar 161 (see FIG. 16), an error display area 171
(see FIG. 17), and a main body 181 (see FIG. 18). The focus herein
relates to the main body 181.
[0119] According to one aspect of the present invention, the main
body 181 of a web page 120 employed as a user interface can be
composed of several reusable elements in various combinations. We
term these "Adaptive Units." An exemplary embodiment 16 of an
Adaptive Unit is shown in FIG. 1A. These Adaptive Units include
three components--an interface component 12, a data persistence
component 13 and a data processing component 14.
[0120] The interface component 12 presents information to and
accepts information from the outside world (such as a web page or a
system interface).
[0121] The processing logic component 13 can manipulate and
evaluate information based on received parameters. This component
can perform complex manipulations such as comparisons and decisions
as in the case of data dependency decisions.
[0122] The data persistence logic component 14 retrieves, adds,
updates, and deletes data targeting one or more Occurrence
Databases 15a-15n. This component manages the data in the one or
more Occurrence Databases.
[0123] All three components of an Adaptive Unit are parameter
driven. In other words, each of these components receives
parameters from somewhere else that drive the activities of the
component. These parameters are embedded throughout these
components so that the components can be adapted to any
application. As a result, these components are highly flexible
forming the core of the Adaptive Application.
[0124] One embodiment for providing parameters to these components
includes a Definition Database 11. The Definition Database can be
populated with data specific to the given application for which the
Adaptive Application is being adapted to completely control the
three components of each Adaptive Unit. By using these Adaptive
Units as building blocks the Adaptive Application can be developed
in short order.
[0125] Adaptive Units
[0126] There are multiple types of Adaptive Units (AU's) that can
be combined in various manners to create any combination of web
page necessary for interacting with a user. Some embodiments of
these Adaptive Units include--a List AU (an example of which is
shown in FIG. 19), a Detail AU (an example of which is shown in
FIG. 20), an Updateable List AU (see FIG. 21 for an example) and a
Dual List AU (see FIG. 22 for an example), which only becomes
necessary when there are multiple occurrence databases.
[0127] Referring to FIG. 19, shown therein is a List Adaptive Unit
190, which includes a list 195 and several events (Add, Delete,
Detail, Reset) that can be initiated by clicking on the buttons
191-194, respectively.
[0128] Referring to FIG. 20, shown therein is a Detail Adaptive
Unit that includes a detail area 201 and a function button 202
(submit).
[0129] Referring to FIG. 21, shown therein is an Updateable List
Adaptive Unit that includes a list 214 and several function buttons
(Add Row, Delete Row, Submit) 211-213, respectively.
[0130] Referring to FIG. 22, shown therein is a Dual List Adaptive
Unit that includes a left side list 221 and a right side list
222.
[0131] Referring to FIG. 23, shown therein is a List Detail Unit
that includes a list 232 and a detail area 231 for the selected
item on the list.
[0132] Referring to FIG. 24, shown therein is a Dual-List Detail
Adaptive Unit that includes a left side list 241 and a right side
list 243 and a detail area 242 for the selected item.
[0133] Referring to FIG. 25, shown therein is a Detail--List
Adaptive Unit that includes a detail area 251 and a list 252 for
the selected item on the detail area 251.
[0134] Sometimes the main body of the web page is composed of a
combination of two or more Adaptive Units. The following are some
examples of frequently encountered combinations--List-Detail AU
(see FIG. 23 for an example), Dual-List Detail AU (see FIG. 24 for
an example), Detail-List AU (see FIG. 25 for an example). Other
combinations are also possible depending upon the precise
requirements of a given application. Essentially, any desired web
page can be created from a combination of these four Adaptive
Units, which makes it rather simple to create any desired web page
rapidly.
[0135] List Adaptive Unit
[0136] In the List Adaptive Unit, there are several possible events
that can be initiated--Load (see FIG. 9D), View/Edit (see FIG. 7),
Add (see FIG. 6A) and Delete (see FIG. 6B). Each event is activated
when a user clicks on the link associated with the given event. The
List Adaptive unit has the following properties--ViewName,
DetailTarget, ProductId and Occurrence ID. These properties are the
information elements via which the List Adaptive Unit receives and
transfers parameters.
[0137] Turning to FIG. 6A, shown therein is the process 60a that is
initiated upon clicking on the Add link in the List Adaptive Unit.
This process 60a in turn activates the "New" event of the Detail
Adaptive Unit (see FIGS. 9A-C) using DetailTarget, ProductId, and
OccurrenceId of the parent occurrence for the list (step 61a). The
remaining steps are explained in the New event of the Detail
Adaptive Unit below.
[0138] Turning to FIG. 6B, shown therein is the process 60b that is
initiated upon clicking on the Delete link in the List Adaptive
Unit. First, the Contract Occurrence with the OccurrenceId is
deleted (step 61b). Then, the deleted occurrence is removed from
the display (step 62b).
[0139] Turning to FIG. 7, shown therein is the process 70 that is
initiated upon clicking on the View/Edit link in the List Adaptive
Unit. This process 70 in turn activates the "Load" event of the
Detail Adaptive Unit (see FIGS. 8A-C) using DetailTarget,
ProductId, and OccurranceId of a selected item (step 71). The
remaining steps are explained in the Load event of the Detail
Adaptive Unit below.
[0140] Turning to FIG. 9D, the process 90d initiated by clicking on
the Load link in the List Adaptive Unit is shown therein. Once
initiated, the process 90d retrieves the View attributes using the
ViewName (step 91d). Next, the attributes of each View Item are
retrieved for the ViewName and ProductId (step 92d). For each View
Item, the Question attributes are retrieved (step 93d). Using the
OccurranceId as a "parent-id", the "children" Contract Occurrences
are retrieved from the Contract Ancestry (step 94d). Next, the
Contract Answers are retrieved for the Questions related to the
View Items from each occurrence (step 95d). Finally, the answers
are displayed for each Contract Occurrence in a separate line (step
96d) and the process ends.
[0141] Detail Adaptive Unit
[0142] In this Adaptive Unit, there are several possible events
that can be initiated--Load, New, Continue and Submit. The Detail
Adaptive Unit has the following properties--ViewName, Occurrence
ID, ProductId and SegmentNo.
[0143] Referring to FIGS. 8A-C, shown therein is the process 80
that is initiated upon clicking on the Load link of the Detail
Adaptive Unit. The SegmentNo is initialized to one (1) 81a. The
View Attributes are retrieved using the ViewName 82a. The
attributes for each View Item for the View Name and ProductId are
then retrieved 83a. Next, for each View Item, the View Item
Dependency Lines and the View Item Dependency Values are retrieved
84a. For each View Item related to a Question, steps 86a-89a and
81b-88b are performed, after which the process moves to step 89b.
In step 86a, the question attributes are retrieved. In step 87a,
the SegmentNo is compared to the Segment of the View Item, and if
equal, the process moves to step 88a (FIG. 8B). If the SegmentNo is
not equal to the Segment of the View Item the process moves to step
88b of FIG. 8B (step 89a).
[0144] Turning to FIG. 8B, the process continues in step 81b from
FIG. 8A. Next, the ProductId is evaluated and if the ProductId is
not zero, the process moves to step 83b, in which the Question
attributes are overridden using the Contract Question by Product
and the process moves to step 86b. If the ProductId is zero, the
process moves to step 84b, in which the determination is made as to
whether the question has answer options, and if so, the process
moves to step 85b, in which the attributes of each answer option
are retrieved, and then the process moves to step 86b. If the
Question does not have answer options, the process moves to step
86b directly, thereby skipping step 85b. Next, the determination is
made as to whether the question has question relations 86b. If the
question has question relations, then the process moves to step
87b, which takes us to FIG. 8C, step 81c. If the question does not
have question relations, then the process moves to step 89b, in
which after eliminating those View Items that are inapplicable
because of question dependency conditions, the remaining View Items
are displayed with Segment equal to SegmentNo along with answers
that are not hyperlinked, and the process ends.
[0145] Turning to FIG. 8C, this subprocess is initiated by an
affirmative response to the determination of step 86b. First, the
attributes of each Question Relation are retrieved 82c. For
"default" and "derive" relations, the Contract Answer is retrieved
from higher-level contract entities using OccurrenceId and Contract
Ancestry to determine value of the answer 83c. For a "link"
question relation, the set of possible selections is retrieved
using the ProductId 84c. For a "dynamic" question relation,
attributes from "Contract Question By Product Occurrence" and from
"Contract Answer Option by Product Occurrence" are retrieved 85c,
and the process returns to FIG. 8B, step 87b (step 86c).
[0146] Referring to FIGS. 9A-C, shown therein is the process 90
that is initiated upon clicking on the New link of the Detail
Adaptive Unit. The SegmentNo is initialized to one (1) 91a. The
View Attributes are retrieved using the ViewName 92a. The
attributes for each View Item for the View Name and ProductId are
then retrieved 93a. Next, for each View Item, the View Item
Dependency Lines and the View Item Dependency Values are retrieved
94a. For each View Item related to a Question, steps 96a-99a and
91b-98b are performed, after which the process moves to step 99b.
In step 96a, the question attributes are retrieved. In step 97a,
the SegmentNo is compared to the Segment of the View Item, and if
equal, the process moves to step 98a (FIG. 9B). If the SegmentNo is
not equal to the Segment of the View Item the process moves to step
98b of FIG. 9B (step 99a).
[0147] Turning to FIG. 9B, the process continues in step 91b from
FIG. 9A. Next, the ProductId is evaluated and if the ProductId is
not zero, the process moves to step 93b, in which the Question
attributes are overridden using the Contract Question by Product
and the process moves to step 96b. If the ProductId is zero, the
process moves to step 94b, in which the determination is made as to
whether the question has answer options, and if so, the process
moves to step 95b, in which the attributes of each answer option
are retrieved, and then the process moves to step 96b. If the
Question does not have answer options, the process moves to step
96b directly, thereby skipping step 95b. Next, the determination is
made as to whether the question has question relations 96b. If the
question has question relations, then the process moves to step
97b, which takes us to FIG. 9C, step 91c. If the question does not
have question relations, then the process moves to step 99b, in
which after eliminating those View Items that are inapplicable
because of question dependency conditions, the remaining View Items
are displayed with Segment equal to SegmentNo along with answers
that are not hyperlinked, and the process ends.
[0148] Turning to FIG. 9C, this subprocess is initiated by an
affirmative response to the determination of step 96b. First, the
attributes of each Question Relation are retrieved 92c. For
"default" and "derive" relations, the Contract Answer is retrieved
from higher-level contract entities using OccurranceId and Contract
Ancestry to determine value of the answer 93c. For a "link"
question relation, the set of possible selections is retrieved
using the ProductId 94c. For a "dynamic" question relation,
attributes from "Contract Question By Product Occurrence" and from
"Contract Answer Option by Product Occurrence" are retrieved 95c,
and the process returns to FIG. 9B, step 97b (step 96c).
[0149] Referring to FIGS. 10A-B, shown therein is the process 100a
that is initiated upon clicking on the Continue link of the Detail
Adaptive Unit. First, the SegmentNo is increased by one (1) 101a.
Next, for each View Item with Segment=SegmentNo that is related to
a Question, steps 103a-109a are performed, after which the process
moves to step 110a (step 102a). In step 103a, the ProductId is
evaluated and if the ProductId is not zero, the process moves to
step 104a, in which the Question attributes are overridden using
the Contract Question by Product and the process moves to step
107a. If the ProductId is zero, the process moves to step 105a, in
which the determination is made as to whether the question has
answer options, and if so, the process moves to step 106a, in which
the attributes of each answer option are retrieved, and then the
process moves to step 107a. If the Question does not have answer
options, the process moves to step 107a directly, thereby skipping
step 106a. Next in step 108a, the determination is made as to
whether the question has question relations. If the question has
question relations, then the process moves to step 109a, which
takes us to FIG. 10B, step 101b. If the question does not have
question relations, then the process moves to step 110a, in which
the View Items with Segment less than SegmentNo are displayed along
with hyperlinked answers. In step 111a, after eliminating those
View Items that are inapplicable because of question dependency
conditions, the remaining View Items are displayed with Segment
equal to SegmentNo along with answers that are not hyperlinked, and
the process ends.
[0150] Turning to FIG. 10B, this subprocess is initiated by an
affirmative response to the determination of step 108a. First, the
attributes of each Question Relation are retrieved 102b. For
"default" and "derive" relations, the Contract Answer is retrieved
from higher-level contract entities using OccurrenceId and Contract
Ancestry to determine value of the answer 103b. For a "link"
question relation, the set of possible selections is retrieved
using the ProductId 104b. For a "dynamic" question relation,
attributes from "Contract Question By Product Occurrence" and from
"Contract Answer Option by Product Occurrence" are retrieved 105b,
and the process returns to FIG. 10A, step 109a (step 106b).
[0151] Referring to FIG. 11C, shown therein is the process 112c
that is initiated upon clicking on the Submit link of the Detail
Adaptive Unit. First, in step 113c, if a new Contract Occurrence
has been introduced, the new Contract Occurrence is added to the
database. Then in step 114c, each new Contract Answer is added to
the database. Each Contract Answer that has been modified in the
database is then updated (step 115c). Next, questions that have
been deleted or made inapplicable (by dependency conditions) from
the database are deleted in step 116c.
[0152] Dual List Adaptive Unit
[0153] In this Adaptive Unit, there are four possible events that
can be initiated--Load, View/Edit, Add>> and <<Remove.
This Adaptive Unit has the following properties--LeftViewName,
RightViewName, DetailTarget, LinkedEntity, LinkedQuestion,
Occurrence ID and ProductId.
[0154] Referring to FIGS. 11D-E, shown therein is the process that
is initiated upon clicking on the Load link of the Dual List
Adaptive Unit. FIG. 11D shows the portion 112d of the process that
is applicable to the list on the right side of the selected items,
whereas FIG. 11E shows the portion 112e of the process that is
applicable to the list on the left side of the selected items.
[0155] Turning to FIG. 11D, in step 113d, the View attributes are
retrieved using the RightViewName. Next in step 114d, the
attributes of each View Item are retrieved for the RightViewName
and ProductId. Next in step 115d, for each View Item, the Question
attributes are retrieved. In step 116d, using OccurranceId as a
"parent-id", the "children" Contract Occurrences are retrieved from
the Contract Ancestry. Next in step 117d, Contract Answers are
obtained for the Questions related to the View Items from each
occurrence. Finally in step 118d, the answers for each Contract
Occurrence are displayed in a separate line.
[0156] Turning to FIG. 11E (for the list on the left side of the
selectable items), in step 113e, the View attributes are retrieved
using the LeftViewName. Next in step 114e, the attributes of each
View Item are retrieved for the LeftViewName and ProductId. Next in
step 115e, for each View Item, the Question attributes are
retrieved. In step 116e, all Product Occurrences are found that
contain a Product Answer for the question identified by
TargetEntity and TargetQuestion. Next in step 117e, Contract
Answers are obtained for the Questions related to the View Items
from each occurrence. Finally in step 118e, the answers for each
Product Occurrence are displayed in a separate line excluding the
occurrences that are already selected and therefore in the
"selected items list" (i.e., matching values for the LinkedQuestion
and TargetQuestion).
[0157] Referring to FIG. 11F, shown therein is the process that is
initiated upon clicking on the View/Edit link of the Dual List
Adaptive Unit. Clicking the View/Edit link initiates process 110f,
which in step 111f activates the "Load" event of the Detail
Adaptive Unit using DetailTarget, ProductId, and OccurranceId (of
selected item).
[0158] Referring to FIG. 11G, shown therein is the process that is
initiated upon clicking on the "Add>>" link of the Dual List
Adaptive Unit. Clicking the "Add>>" link initiates process
110g, which in step 111g activates the "New" event of the Detail
Adaptive Unit using DetailTarget, ProductId, and OccurrenceId (of
the parent occurrence for the list).
[0159] Referring to FIG. 11H, shown therein is the process that is
initiated upon clicking on the "Remove>>" link of the Dual
List Adaptive Unit. Clicking the "Remove>>" link initiates
process 110h, which in step 111h deletes the Contract Occurrence
with OccurranceId. Next in step 112h, the deleted occurrence is
removed from display on the right list. Finally, in step 113h, the
corresponding occurrence is displayed on the left list.
[0160] Updateable List Adaptive Unit
[0161] In this Adaptive Unit, there are several possible events
that can be initiated--Load, Add Row, Delete Row and Submit. This
Adaptive Unit has the following properties--ListViewName,
DetailViewName, Occurrence ID and ProductId.
[0162] Referring to FIGS. 11I-K, shown therein is the process 110i
that is initiated upon clicking on the Load link of the Updateable
List Adaptive Unit. In step 111i, the View Attributes are retrieved
using the ListViewName. The attributes for each View Item for the
ListView Name and ProductId are then retrieved 112i. Next, for each
View Item, the attributes are retrieved for the DetailViewName and
ProductId 113i. For each View Item from the DetailViewName, steps
115i-116i, and 111j-117j are performed, after which the process
moves to step 118j. In step 115i, the question attributes are
retrieved. In step 116i, the process moves to FIG. 11J, element
111j.
[0163] Turning to FIG. 11J, the process continues in step 111j from
FIG. 11I, step 116i. Next, the ProductId is evaluated and if the
ProductId is not zero, the process moves to step 113j, in which the
Question attributes are overridden using the Contract Question by
Product and the process moves to step 116j. If the ProductId is
zero, the process moves to step 114j, in which the determination is
made as to whether the question has answer options, and if so, the
process moves to step 115j, in which the attributes of each answer
option are retrieved, and then the process moves to step 116j. If
the Question does not have answer options, the process moves to
step 116j directly, thereby skipping step 115j. Next, the
determination is made as to whether the question has question
relations 116j. If the question has question relations, then the
process moves to step 117j, which takes us to FIG. 11K, step 111k.
If the question does not have question relations, then the process
moves directly to step 118j, in which the "children" Contract
Occurrences from the Contract Ancestry are retrieved using
OccurranceId as a "parent-id." In step 119j, the Contract Answers
for the Questions related to the DetailViewName View Items from
each occurrence are obtained. Finally in step 120j, the answers for
each Contract Occurrence are displayed in a separate line, and the
process ends.
[0164] Turning to FIG. 11K, this subprocess is initiated by an
affirmative response to the determination of step 116j. First, the
attributes of each Question Relation are retrieved 112k. For
"default" and "derive" relations, the Contract Answer is retrieved
from higher-level contract entities using OccurranceId and Contract
Ancestry to determine value of the answer 113k. For a "link"
question relation, the set of possible selections is retrieved
using the ProductId 114k. For a "dynamic" question relation,
attributes from "Contract Question By Product Occurrence" and from
"Contract Answer Option by Product Occurrence" are retrieved 115k,
and the process returns to FIG. 11J, step 117j (step 116k).
[0165] Referring to FIG. 11L, shown therein is the process that is
initiated upon clicking on the Add Row link of the Updateable List
Adaptive Unit. Clicking the Add row link initiates process 1101,
which in step 111l adds a blank new row to the updateable list
filling in default values, if any (no database change), and the
process ends.
[0166] Referring to FIG. 11M, shown therein is the process that is
initiated upon clicking on the Delete Row link of the Updateable
List Adaptive Unit. Clicking the Delete row link initiates process
110m, which in step 111m deletes the indicated row from the
updateable list (no database change), and the process ends.
[0167] Referring to FIG. 11N, shown therein is the process that is
initiated upon clicking on the Submit link of the Updateable List
Adaptive Unit. Clicking the Submit link initiates process 110n,
which in step 111n adds each new Contract Occurrence, if any, to
the database. Next in step 112n, each new Contract Answer, if any,
is added to the database. Then in step 113n, each Contract Answer
that has been modified in the database is updated. Finally in step
114n, questions that have been deleted or made inapplicable (by
dependency conditions) are deleted from the database, and the
process ends.
[0168] Question Relations
[0169] One or more of the embodiments of the present invention
employ a technique known as Question Relations to provide an
efficient, declarative, and non-redundant way for the Adaptive
Application (e.g., PolicyWriter) to associate the answer of a
Question with that (i.e., an answer) of another Question. The
related question can be from the same entity or a different
entity.
[0170] Depending on its type, a Question Relation may point to one
or more Questions that are associated with a given question:
Target-Q or Ref-Q.
[0171] The following table lists the Question Relation types.
1 Code Name Parameters A Variable Target-Q L Link Target-Q S Search
Target-Q V Value Target-Q, Ref-Q
[0172] The usage of all these Question Relations types, except for
type A, (see variable properties below) is governed by QUESTION
SOURCE, a Question property, which enables the answer of a Question
to be associated with the answers to other Questions (from the same
or different Entities).
[0173] The following QUESTION SOURCE values are of interest: Linked
(L), Derived (D), and Defaulted (F).
[0174] Referring to FIG. 26, A LINKED Question 262 duplicates a
Question 261 of an "upstream" Entity, thus creating an association
between two Entities. The answer of a Linked Question is always
stored. Question relations that may be needed to facilitate a
linked question are:
[0175] L--points to a question in the other database to link to
[0176] S--points to a question in the current database that
provides the value of the particular parent occurrence under which
the answer to the Question to link to is to be found in the other
database
[0177] V--points to a default answer for the linked question (in
the current database)
[0178] Turning to FIG. 27, the Linked Question is the Coverage Code
275. The Product Coverage Code is the question being linked to
(element 272); Product Code 271 is used to determine the applicable
Product Coverages. Two question relations are needed for this
example. One of type L to point to the Product Coverage Code 275,
and one of type S to use the Policy Product Code 273 as the parent
ID for retrieving Product Coverages 272.
[0179] Turning to FIG. 28, A DERIVED Question acquires its answer
by applying a formula to the answer of an Ancestor's or Extended
Ancestor's Question which is called the Target Question. The answer
of a Derived Question may be stored depending on the "Storage Code"
property.
[0180] The Target Question is element 282, or 283. If the Target
Question belongs to an Extended Ancestor, it must be specified via
a Reference Question which is itself a link (element 284). The
derived question is element 281, or 285. Only one Question Relation
of type V needed in either case.
[0181] Turning to FIG. 29, the Derived Question is Location Limit
(element 294). Target Question is the Policy Limit (element 293).
One Question Relation of type V is needed.
[0182] Turning to FIG. 30, the Derived Question is Coverage Premium
Ind (element 305). The Target question is Product Coverage Premium
Ind (element 301). The Coverage Code is the link that is used to
make the connection (Coverage Ccode in element 305). One Question
relation row of type V is needed (Target-Q=Product Coverage.Premium
Ind; Ref-Q=Coverage.Coverage Code).
[0183] Turning to FIG. 31, A DEFAULTED Question acquires its
initial answer by applying a formula to the answer of an Ancestor's
or Extended Ancestor's Question which is called the Target
Question. The answer of a Defaulted Question may be stored
depending on the "Storage Code" property.
[0184] The Target Question is element 311 or 313. If the Target
Question belongs to an Extended Ancestor, it must be specified via
a Reference Question which is itself a link (element 314). The
defaulted question is element 312 or 315. Only one Question
Relation of type V is needed in either case.
[0185] Turning to FIG. 32, the Defaulted Question is the Coverage
Deductible (element 325). The Target Question is the Policy
Deductible (element 323). One Question Relation row of type V is
needed (Target-Q=Policy.Deductible).
[0186] Turning to FIG. 33, the Defaulted Question is the Coverage
Inclusion Ind (element 335). The Target Question is the Product
Coverage Inclusion Ind (element 332). The Coverage Code is the link
that is used to make the connection (Coverage Code in element 335).
One Question Relation of type V is needed (where Target-Q=Product
Coverage.Inclusion Ind and Ref-Q=Coverage.Coverage Code).
[0187] Variable Properties
[0188] Answer options and several other properties of Contract
Questions are referred to as Variable Properties. Answer options of
a Contract Question are set at the level of a designated Product
Entity. For example, the answer options for the "Coverage limit"
question may differ by the "Product Coverage Type". The remaining
Variable Properties are set elsewhere but may be overridden at the
level of the designated Product Entity. If a Contract Question
requires Variable Properties, it must have a Question Relation of
type A, which specifies another Contract Question (Target-Q) that
provides the link to a particular occurrence of the Product Entity
where the Variable Properties reside.
[0189] Turning to FIG. 34, the Limit (element 345) is the Contract
Question whose variable property level is being designated. In this
case, the Question Relation has Coverage Code (Coverage code in
element 345) as the Target-Q. Product Coverage (element 342) is the
Product Entity that the Target-Q is linked to.
[0190] Summary
[0191] Although various embodiments are specifically illustrated
and described herein, it will be appreciated that modifications and
variations of the invention are covered by the above teachings and
are within the purview of the appended claims without departing
from the spirit and intended scope of the invention. For example,
specific software languages and database types are mentioned,
however, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these
examples. Furthermore, these examples should not be interpreted to
limited the modifications and variations of the invention covered
by the claims are merely illustrative of possible variations.
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